ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Cabinet gives in-principle approval for setting up a new Major Port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its 'in-principle' approval for setting up a Major Port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharashtra.
Total cost of the project is likely to be Rs.65,544.54 crore.
Vadhavan port will be developed on "land lord model". ASpecial Purpose Vehicle  will be formed with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust  as the lead partner with equity participation equal to or more than 50% to implement the project. The SPV will develop the port infrastructure including reclamation, construction of breakwater, besides establishing connectivity to the hinterland. All the business activities would be undertaken under PPP mode by private developers.
The position of JN Port, the biggest container port in India is 28thin the world with a traffic of 5.1 million TEUs . Even after the completion of 4th terminal at JN Port with a capacity increase upto10 million TEUs by 2023, it will stand as the 17thlargest container port in the world. With the development of Vadhavan port, India will break into the countries with top 10 container ports in the world.
Maharashtra has India's largest container port at JNPT which caters to the hinterland of Maharashtra, North Karnataka, Telangana and secondary hinterland of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, NCR, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. There is a need for a deep draft port that will accommodate the largest Container Ships in the world and also cater to the spill over traffic from JNPT port once its planned capacity of 10 million TEUs is fully utilized. JNPT and Mundra, the two largest container handling ports of the country , have drafts of 15 M and 16 M respectively, while the world's largest container handling modern deep draft ports require a draft of 18M-20M. The Vadhavan port has a natural draft of about 20 meters close to the shore, making it possible for it to handle bigger vessels at the port. Development of Vadhavan port will enable call of container vessels of 16,000-25,000 TEUs capacity, giving advantages of economies of scale & reducing logistics cost.
The ever increasing size of container ships makes it imperative that a deep draft container port in West Coast of India is developed. Increasing containerization of cargo in the wake of value-added manufacturing sector makes it important to prepare our port infrastructure for handling value-added import and export to facilitate manufacturing activity. Container traffic in the JNPT hinterland is expected to grow from 4.5 MTEUs currently to 10.1 MTEUs by 2022-25 when JNPT's potential will be fully exhausted. The demand for container traffic will further accelerate after the plans for improving logistic infrastructure fructify and the 'Make in India' push drives greater exports and manufacture sourcing to India.
Ministry of Finance
Direct Tax Collections for Financial Year 2017-18 show Growth of 14.4% upto November, 2017
The provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to November, 2017 show that net collections are at Rs. 4.8 lakh crore which is 14.4% higher than the net collections for the corresponding period of last year.
The Net Direct Tax collections represent 49% of the total Budget Estimates of Direct Taxes for the Financial Year. 2017-18 . Gross collections  have increased by 10.7% to Rs.5.82 lakh crore during April-November, 2017. Refunds amounting to Rs. 1.02 lakh crore have been issued during April, 2017 to November, 2017.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Development and peace in J&K is top priority of PM Modi led government: Ramdas Athawale
J&K is and was the integral part of India says the Minister.
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, Shri Ramdas Athawale today said that development and peace in Jammu and Kashmir is the top priority of the Prime Minister Modi led government which is evident now with the visit of lakhs of tourists this year and the beginning of investment processes in thousands of crores in different sectors in Jammu and Kashmir for the welfare of the people. The Minister said this while interacting with the media during a press briefing held at Srinagar.
Shri Ramdas Athawale said that the peaceful atmosphere, which is now prevalent in J&K under the present government, has been able to attract lakhs of tourists which is a positive sign and will create job opportunities for the youth of J&K besides infrastructure development in the tourism sector.
Sh. Athawale said that the government wants to create more employment opportunities for the youth of J&K by attracting private sector investment. Many private sector investors have come to Jammu and Kashmir and will invest thousands of crores of rupees for the welfare of the Union Territory, the minister added.
Saying that J&K is and was the integral part of India, Sh. Athawale said that it is in the interest of Pakistan to improve relations with India for peace to prevail and for its own development.
Shri Ramdas Athawale said that from last many years, the gates of development have opened for J&K which is evident from the fact that all the centrally sponsored schemes and programmes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana, MUDRA, PM Ujjwala Yojana, Scholarship Schemes for Students, Welfare Schemes for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes are now implemented in J&K.
Shri Athawale further said that hundred percent implementation of many central schemes in J&K is witness to the fact that Govt. of India is steadfast to provide social stability at all fronts be that housing, livelihood etc. to the people of J&K.
The Minister Informed that under PM Narendra Modi implementation of the social welfare schemes has picked up pace in Jammu and Kashmir which is evident from the fact that under PM Jan Dhan Yojana, between 2014-2022 , 26 lakh accounts have been opened in J&K, under PM Ujjwala Yojana between 2016-22 , 12 lakh 43 thousand gas connections have been allotted to the beneficiaries, under PM Awas Yojana  between 2015-22 , 15 thousand houses have been constructed in J&K, under PM Awas Yojana , ninety thousand houses have been constructed, under PM Jan Arogya Yojana, 05 lakh 09 thousand have been benefited in J&K and under Ujala Yojana, 85 lakh LED bulbs have been issued in J&K. The Minister informed that between 2019-22 , 1720 De-addiction centers have been either funded or established under Financial Assistance for the establishment of De-addiction centers out of which 12 have been either funded or established in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
Secretary, MoHUA, chairs 59th meeting of CSMC under PMAY
Project proposals for more than 2 lakh houses approved for construction in 8 States
The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs  has approved construction of 2.02 lakh in 8 States namely, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana . These houses are proposed to be constructed under Beneficiary Led Construction  and Affordable Housing in Partnership  verticals of PMAY-U Mission. The decision was taken during the 59th meeting of Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee  under PMAY-U. The meeting, held today in video conference mode, was chaired by Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs .
Presiding over the meeting, Secretary, MoHUA, discussed the issues pertaining to grounding and construction of houses in different States under different verticals of PMAY. He reviewed the pace of completion of houses in the States and directed the officials to expedite the grounding and construction process.
Construction of PMAY-U houses are in various stages. The total number of sanctioned houses under PMAY is now 115.4 Lakh; of which around 95 Lakh have been grounded for construction and around 56.3 Lakh have been completed and delivered to the beneficiaries. The total investment under the Mission is ₹ 7.56 Lakh Crore, with Central Assistance of ₹ 1.89 Lakh Crore. So far, Central Assistance amounting to ₹ 1.25 Lakh Crore has already been released.
Secretary, MoHUA, also reviewed the revision of projects and performance of the participating States with respect to the Mission.
With the vision of ‘Housing for All’, MoHUA is committed to provide pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries. The emphasis has been to accelerate construction, completion and delivery of houses across the country.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister’s visit to Jakarta, Indonesia 
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia on 06-07 September 2023 at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia.
During his visit, Prime Minister will attend the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and 18th East Asia Summit being hosted by Indonesia as current Chair of ASEAN.
The forthcoming ASEAN-India Summit will be the first Summit since the elevation of India-ASEAN relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022. The Summit will review the progress of India-ASEAN relations and chart the future direction of co-operation.
The East Asia Summit would provide an opportunity for Leaders of ASEAN countries and its eight dialogue partners, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional and global significance.
President's Secretariat
President of India’s Greetings on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind has greeted fellow citizens on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr.
In his message the President has said, “On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, I extend my best wishes and greetings to all the fellow citizens, especially to the Muslim brothers and sisters.
During the holy month of Ramadan, people observe Roza and offer regular prayers and obeisance to Allah. The auspicious festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, is celebrated as an occasion to strengthen the spirit of fraternity and harmony. Eid-ul-Fitr is also an occasion to rededicate ourselves to the service of humanity and to improve the lives of the people in need.
Let us all resolve to deal with this pandemic of Covid-19 by following all the rules and guidelines and work for the well-being of society and the country.”
Click here to see President's message in Hindi.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
PM GatiShakti NMP receives PM's Award for Excellence in Public Administration, 2022
Award conferred upon PM GatiShakti NMP in the category 'Innovation-Central'
The Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration, 2022, in the category 'Innovation-Central' was conferred by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade  today at the 16th Civil Services Day Celebration for the successful implementation of the prestigious ‘PM GatiShakti National Master Plan’ programme.
The Prime Minister appreciated the efforts made under PM GatiShakti and further set the vision ahead for all line Ministries and States/UTs. He highlighted all data layers related to any infrastructure that can be found on a single platform and stressed upon the need to utilize it to the maximum for better planning and execution in the social sector.
The Prime Minister further added that it will greatly benefit in identifying the needs of citizens, tackling issues related to education that might arise in the future, and enhancing communication between Departments, Districts and Blocks while also helping in the formulation of future strategies.
As on date, PM GatiShakti NMP has 1450+ data layers, belonging to Central Ministries  and States/UTs . More than 30 Central Ministries / Departments including Infrastructure, Economic and Social sector line Ministries / Departments and all 36 States/UTs have been onboarded. The institutional mechanism of Empowered Group of Secretaries , Network Planning Group  and Technical Support Unit  is in place and fully operational at both national and sub-national level.
All Ministries / Departments and States/UTs are using and have benefitted from planning on PM GatiShakti NMP in terms of savings in time and cost, optimized planning, faster clearances, cost effective implementation, reduction in project pendency, ease of inter-ministerial coordination, etc.
Initiatives on comprehensive area development- PM GatiShakti Area Approach with a vision to create adequate infrastructure for catalysing socio-economic development in a sustainable manner within a rational geographical location through a convergence approach are also being undertaken.
For wider adoption of PM GatiShakti, five Regional Workshops covering all 36 States/UTs to bring more vigor and build synergy with all the stakeholders of the PM GatiShakti NMP have been organized between 20th February 2023 and 12th April 2023 at Goa, Kochi, Srinagar, Guwahati and Varanasi.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
33 States/ UTs adopt rainwater harvesting feature under Model Building Bye Laws, 2016
Adequate focus has been given on requirement of rainwater harvesting  and water conservation measures in Unified Building Bye Laws  of Delhi, 2016, Model Building Bye Laws , 2016 and Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation  Guidelines, 2014, formulated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs  for adoption by the States /Union Territories  suiting their local conditions. As per MBBL, “all buildings having a plot size of 100 sq.m. or more, while submitting the building plans for sanction, shall mandatorily include the complete proposal of rainwater harvesting”. This feature has been adopted by 33 States/ UTs.
Urban Development is a State subject, as such MoHUA does not conduct any survey in water harvesting. It is for the States to implement the provisions under Building Bye Laws.
Ministry of Jal Shakti  had launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan  in 2019 to spread awareness on water conservation and undertake various activities related to RWH throughout the country. MoHUA had actively participated in JSA through extensive Information, Education and Communication  activities on water conservation in water stressed cities across the country. The activities promulgated for water conservation mainly included RWH, reuse of treated waste water, rejuvenation of water bodies and intensive plantation drives for which detailed guidelines have been issued by the Ministry.
Apart from JSA, ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign is under implementation to educate the people regarding water harvesting. The campaign, which was launched on 22 March, 2021 by MoJS, works on the principle of “Catch the Rain where it falls and when it falls”. Under this campaign, drives to make check dams, water harvesting pits, rooftop RWH Structures etc., removal of encroachments and de-silting of tanks to increase their storage capacity, removal of obstructions in the channels which bring water to them from the catchment areas etc., repairs to step-wells and using defunct bore-wells and unused wells to put water back to aquifers etc. are being undertaken with the active participation of people. Further, Urban Local Bodies have been advised to lead campaign for tree plantations.
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Kaushal Kishore, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets the people on the start of holy month of Ramzan
PM greets the people on the start of holy month of Ramzan
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the start of holy month of Ramzan.
“Greetings on the start of Ramzan. May this holy month enhance the spirit of togetherness, peace and harmony across the world”, the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu will lay the foundation stone for the construction of Dera Baba Nanak - Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on the 26th of November, 2018
Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu will lay the foundation stone for the construction of Dera Baba Nanak - Kartarpur Sahib road Corridor  at a function in village Mann in Gurdaspur district of Punjab on Monday, the 26th of November, 2018.
Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Food Processing Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Capt. Amrinder Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab will be present on the occasion.
Guru Nanak Dev ji had assembled the Sikh community at Kartarpur and lived there for 18 years till 1539. The Gurudwara Darbar Sahib is built where Guru Nanak Dev Ji took his last breath.
To mark Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 550th birth anniversary in 2019, the Government of India decided on 22nd Nov 2018 to build the Kartarpur road Corridor upto the international border between India and Pakistan as an integrated development project. The Corridor will let Sikh pilgrims visit the iconic Gurudwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur on the banks of river Ravi in Pakistan.
India and Pakistan had announced on 15th Nov 2018 that they will build Corridors on their respective sides to let Sikh pilgrims visit the holy shrine without visa and to help them walk across and come back without having to secure a visa.
The Indian side of Corridor starts from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district and extends upto International border between India and Pakistan. The project corridor is to be developed by National Highways Authority of India and will be funded by Government of India. The project corridor is 4 lane with service road and all other appropriate amenities for pilgrims intending to visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur in Pakistan.
This corridor will be a historical landmark between India and Pakistan and will also boost tourism as more pilgrims would visit the holy shrine throughout the year between two countries.
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Prime Minister's Office
PM pays tribute to Lachit Borphukan on Lachit Diwas
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tribute to Lachit Borphukan on Lachit Diwas today.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said “on the special occasion of Lachit Diwas, we bow to the courageous Lachit Borphukan. He was an outstanding leader and strategist, who played a pivotal role in protecting the unique culture of Assam. He also worked extensively towards empowering the poor and downtrodden.”
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Prime Minister's Office
PM visits Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Visited the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad to know more about the indigenous DNA based vaccine being developed by Zydus Cadila.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Visited the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad to know more about the indigenous DNA based vaccine being developed by Zydus Cadila. I compliment the team behind this effort for their work. Government of India is actively working with them to support them in this journey."
Vice President's Secretariat
Terrorism is a global concern that demands global attention: Vice President
Calls on His Majesty, The King Philippe of Belgium
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that terrorism is a global concern that demands global attention and requires global cooperation. He was interacting with His Majesty, The King Philippe of Belgium, in New Delhi today. Senior officials from both sides were present on the occasion.
The Vice President drew the attention of growing menace of terror across the globe. His Majesty agreed that this was a major global challenge and appreciated India’s support to Belgium in the hour of crisis when terrorism stuck their country. The Vice President suggested that India believes in an early conclusion of negotiation and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International terrorism at the United Nations. His Majesty the King of Belgium expressed support to India’s view in this regard.
The Vice President said that India and Belgium today are two vibrant democracies and share several ideals and principles. He further said that democracy, rule of law, freedom of speech, independent judiciary, free press and protection of human rights are fundamental values through which our societies are held together. Belgian academicians have made notable contribution to the advancement of Indian language studies, particularly Hindi and Sanskrit, in India and Belgium, he added.
The Vice President said that more than 1,30,000 Indian soldiers fought in the battle fields of Belgium during the First World War, and more than 9,000 made the supreme sacrifice. He expressed his happiness that the King would inaugurate the exhibition on contribution of Indian soldiers in the First World War and also release a coffee table publication, “India in Flanders Fields”. This indeed is a tribute to the heroism and sacrifice of Indian soldiers, he added.
The Vice President said that India today is an attractive business destination for Belgian businesses and would encourage Belgium Small and Medium Enterprises to explore tie-ups with Indian Start Ups. He further said that India’s 100 Smart Cities initiative is aimed at harnessing the economic potential of urban centres. Belgian companies with expertise in urban transportation solutions, energy efficient technologies, smart citizen services, sanitation and waste management will find many business opportunities in India, he added.
A high level delegation was accompanying the King of Belgium.
Ministry of Rural Development
Cabinet approves continuation of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin beyond March, 2019 
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin  beyond March, 2019  Phase-II as follows:
- Total target for construction of 1.95 crore houses under PMAY-G Phase-II upto 2022.
- Continuation of rural housing scheme Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana -
- Gramin  in Phase-ll till 2019-20 as per the existing norms of PMAY-G Phase-l, with a target of 60 lakh houses involving financial implication of Rs.76,500 crore 
- Continuation of the scheme beyond 2019-20 upto 2021-22 in the next finance commission cycle, after due appraisal and approval based on third party evaluation of scheme/programme as per the extant procedure.
- Inclusion of additional eligible households from the final Awaas+ list into the Permanent Wait List  of PMAY-G, with a ceiling of 1.95 Cr, on priority for those States / UTs where PWL is exhausted and allocate target to these States / UTs with the approval of the Minister of Rural Development in consultation with the Ministry of Finance.
- Continuation of Program Management Unit  and National Technical Support Agency  till 2019-20.
- Borrowing for additional financial requirement through existing mechanism of EBR till the validity of the scheme.
- Reduction in administrative expenses from 4% to 2% of programme funds. 2% of the programme funds allocated for administrative component, shall be bifurcated. 0.30% of the programme funds shall be retained at the central level and the remaining 1.70% of the programme fund shall be released to the States/UTs as Administrative Fund.
Benefits:
The left out rural households who are houseless and / or living in dilapidated houses subject to a ceiling of 1.95 crore would be provided pucca houses by 2022.